Balance can be hard to appreciate… until it’s gone.
When you’re going about your day, you probably don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about balance. That is until you fall or experience dizziness and are concerned about falling.
Balance is critically important when it comes to carrying on with life as you know it. And once you experience what it feels like to be without the right balance, you realize just how much you want it back. Fortunately, there are ways to help. If you live in the Lake Worth area, balance therapy is a great place to start.
Where Does Balance Begin?
Before we get into how to help regain balance, it’s essential to know its sources.
- Vestibular system: Located in your inner ear, the vestibular system helps provide your brain with information about your head’s position. Each vestibular structure (one on each side of your head) serves as a mini level. They’re filled with fluid, which activates the nerves in one side of the vestibular structure whenever you move or turn your head. The nerves essentially tell your brain how and where your head is positioned, and damage to this system can result in vertigo or a spinning sensation when you move your head.
- Vision: Your visual system provides information to your brain about where your body is in relation to where you are. Impaired vision can sometimes result in balance difficulties–in these cases, it might simply take a pair of glasses or contact lenses to fix your balance issues.
- Proprioceptive system: This is a group of specialized nerve endings in your tendons, muscles, and joints, and they communicate with your brain to indicate how and when a muscle is contracting, as well as information about position sense. Damage to this system may result in decreased balance.
What Is Balance Therapy?
Now that you know where your balance comes from and how it might be affected, let’s talk about how to help your balance. Balance therapy consists of various exercises designed to improve your balance and functional mobility. These exercises may involve certain types of stretching, taking a leg off the floor while standing on the other, walking while keeping your eyes focused on a particular target or design, heel-to-toe walking, and walking while moving your head in various positions.
All of these exercises put you in situations that challenge your balance work to improve your equilibrium. Doing so helps your body re-learn how to balance.
Who Benefits Most from Balance Therapy?
Nearly anyone can suffer from a lack of balance at some point in their lives. Most often, balance issues affect:
- People with vertigo
- Older adults with limited mobility
- People who have had surgery
- Injured athletes
- People who have suffered a neurological impairment, such as a stroke
The good thing is there’s hope! At Physical Therapy Now in Lake Worth, we’ll work with you to help you regain your balance and get you feeling like yourself again.
Balance Therapy in Lake Worth
We invite you to our beautiful Lake Worth facility. When we meet with you, we’ll perform a balance assessment to determine what type of treatment and exercises will work best for you and your condition.
Call us today at (561) 963-6227 to set up your first appointment at our state-of-the-art Lake Worth location.
